Enhanced Gamma Radiation Shielding Using Epoxy Quartz Fabric Composites Reinforced With CoCl ₂ Microparticles

The growing demand for lightweight, nontoxic, and multifunctional gamma shielding materials has intensified efforts to find alternatives to conventional lead and aluminum‐based protectants. In this work, we develop epoxy quartz fabric composites reinforced with cobalt chloride (CoCl 2 ) microparticles, fabricated via hand lay‐up with varying filler concentrations to optimize radiation attenuation. Structural analysis using X‐ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed crystalline integrity and chemical compatibility, while scanning electron microscopy revealed uniform dispersion and strong interfacial bonding of CoCl 2 within the matrix. Gamma shielding performance was evaluated experimentally with a NaI(Tl) detector across a wide photon energy range and supported by Phy‐X and WinXCom simulations to extract linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half value layer (HVL), tenth value layer (TVL), and mean free path (MFP). The simulations show that the composite achieves a MAC of 0.0795 cm 2 /g (5.66%–24.53% improvement), LAC of 0.1354 cm −1 (11.37%–27.62%), HVL of 5.12 cm (11.33–26.95%), TVL of 17.02 cm (6.35%–23.38%), and MFP of 7.39 cm (9.61%–28.55%) compared to previously published results. These findings establish CoCl 2 ‐reinforced epoxy quartz composites as a lightweight, scalable, and environmentally safe class of multifunctional materials for advanced radiation protection in aerospace, nuclear, and medical applications.